There are growing calls against former President Donald Trump running for reelection after the results of the midterm elections, and the latest YouGov poll shows Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis now a slight favorite among registered Republicans.
DeSantis is drawing 40.9% support compared to Trump's 39.4%, a 1.5-point edge that lies within the margin of error and makes this hypothetical 2024 GOP nominee choice a virtual tie. There were 11.6% undecided and another 8.1% chose "neither."
But GOP-leaning independents choose DeSantis (42%) by 7 percentage points over Trump (35%), which is outside the margin of error.
The YouGov poll result is the reportedly the first time since 2016 that Trump's support among Republicans has shown fractures, according to the New York Post.
The numbers are more favorable to Trump among "strong Republicans," as that voting bloc wants Trump (45%) over DeSantis (43%). DeSantis is the 7-point favorite among "not very strong Republicans" (38%-31%) and a 24-point favorite among those who "lean toward the Republican Party."
YouGov polling last month had Trump (45%) as a 10-point favorite over DeSantis (35%).
The Economist/YouGov polled 1,500 Americans Nov. 9-11, including 413 self-identified Republicans and GOP leaners. The total sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.